Julian King: EU preparing to legislate against illegal content online

The European Commission is preparing to propose legislation that would force online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to take down illegal content within given time limits, Security Commissioner Julian King told POLITICO.

“Our intention is to bring something forward in the autumn,” he said in an interview. “There is a discussion scheduled” at the regulatory scrutiny board about a legislative proposal.

King added that governments agreed on the need for illegal content to be taken down swiftly. “There is a very strong case for fixing a very tight deadline for the removal of illegal terrorist content that has been referred by law enforcement,” he said.